robhon

Getting hit in the back of the head with a 2x4 is not funny. But when Stanley hits Ollie with that 2x4 it cracks me up every time. If we can't take a moment to laugh at our predicament then we lose all perspective. My first born child is over 6000 miles away right now and I probably won't see him again for many weeks. I still think it's good to laugh just a little at the absurdity of it all.

Ahhhh, you must be K-1. It's the little red marriage book that you both get when you marry in China. It's like a little thin passport with a picture of the lovely couple inside and a bit of writing saying that the marriage is legal by Chinese law.

The great thing about a multi-entry visa is, if you're going to HK, you can make an excusion into Shenzhen with out "wasting" an entry. Just watch out for those damned taxi drivers in SZ.

Oh my goodness this is SOOO true! Especially when you get outside the larger cities into rural areas, or on the sub-interstate grade highways. After a while you get used to it, but at first you see they way they saunter across the highway, seemingly unaware that that in car vs. pedestrian, car wins. I am still amazed that there are not dead and injured people up and down the length of the roadway. People in the cities seem to have a bit of sense about them. Except when they get on thier mopeds (KAMAKAZI!!!!!) It even happens in the bigger cities! One of my first memories of Shenzhen was seeing a mother and small child stuck in the middle of numerous lanes of crazy, disorganized traffic. They were just stuck there trying to be as skinny as possible as busses and cars skimmed past them. ...I hope they made it.

Yeah, I've already done that once. Now my passport is filled up again. It's getting pretty fat.

You should have seen the whole family scene at the CQ airport. I think they probably had to come in a mop up the floor after I left.

AH! I never knew I could use that little red book for anything so useful! Next time at the consulate you're going to see me waving that thing like a mean little Maoist. I've been to that consulate (in SF) so many times now, I think I have one page left in my passport. (Good thing too 'cuz the picture sucks!)

Someone else might expand on this but, from all my reading, I'd say the answer is "unlikely." If your parents in China are fairly wealthy and can show a substantial reason to return to China (money, property, family, well-paying jobs), then the answer might change to "maybe."

In my China trips I've noted that the locals tend to cross highways much in the same fashion deer do in the US. They just step out and go. More than once, as a passenger in a speeding car on a four lane, have I seen someone with their goods in baskets almost get nailed. It's why everyone is always honking their car horns out in the countryside. It seems the rule of the road in China is not "look out for traffic" but rather "you better let people know you're coming."

I can accurately say, we've been in the queue at GZ for nearly my son's entire lifetime. He was born Sept 3. Our case arrived in GZ Sept 8.

Does anyone here know what constitutes being a "member of the comunist party?" Does it involve any heavy drinking or hazing of any kind? No, really though, how formal a thing is it in China?

what do you think of my timeline? I think everyone is looking at very abbreviated timelines here and missing some real information. People are not waiting 5 months AFTER their case is sent to GZ. They're waiting 4, 5 or 6 months for their name checks to be completed here in the US (NVC, DOS, FBI, etc.). There are a whole other segment of people, like myself, who waited many months for their name checks to be completed and are now waiting to receive their P3. If you've only receive your NOA1 and NOA2 you are not really waiting for a P3. You're waiting on your security (name) check to be completed.

I don't remember if I told anyone here this, but when Youyue saw the doctor in China and got an ultra-sound, they wouldn't let her see it. And they also won't tell you the gender of the baby. Too many people in China would abort a little baby girl, I guess. It's nice you're getting to do all this in the US, Mick.

Yeaaaah.... It just always seems like such a wonderful and beautiful activity. I forget that it's also a private activity. It was my mother who suggested removing it. She's smarter than me, you know. Oops....shouldn't have sold them. Sorry. http://smilies.sofrayt.com/%5E/3/nono.gif And if Youyue finds that out, I can probably start working on the divorce papers even before we get our P3 in hand...

Yeaaaah.... It just always seems like such a wonderful and beautiful activity. I forget that it's also a private activity. It was my mother who suggested removing it. She's smarter than me, you know.

I just uploaded a whole bunch more pics from my trip here to China. They really give you the flavor of what my past 6 weeks here have been like. There are two albums, one called "Banquet" for Sonny's 40 days (or maybe it was just celebrating Youyue taking a shower) and the other is called "Chongqing" which is pictures of the last few days before I had to leave. The whole thing has been a pretty amazing experience. http://homepage.mac.com/robhon/

BTW, I'm in HK for two days. Returning on the 21st. If anyone wants me to bring anything back (other than your fiance(e)/spouse) just let me know.

For those interested I've posted pictures of our little Sonny on a .Mac account... http://homepage.mac.com/robhon/PhotoAlbum2.html Mother and baby are doing well. After a week in the hospital in Chongqing we returned to Hechuan where Youyue's parent's live. Youyue spent her remaining "40 days" there, as she wasn't allowed out of the house. This past Sunday we had a big banquet (8 tables of about 10 people each) where the baby's Wai Poh (grandmother, mother's side) showed Sonny off to the entire city, as far as I could tell. The street noice at Youyue's parent's house was pretty bad and Sonny wasn't sleeping very well. Youyue, with mother's permission, returned to her aunt's house in Chongqing where it's far quieter. He does seem to be sleeping better as a result. I had a very tearful goodbye at the Chongqing airport this morning with about 8 family members there for my send off. Lot's of tear-filled eyes! It's hard to leave but I know he's with a very large family of people who love him very very much. I try to find solace in knowing that at least eventually my little family will be together in our own home in Berkeley. I'll post more pictures tomorrow to this site.

Rob, Is your NVC mailing date Sept. 5th? I checked with DHL and they have delivered all mail of that date as you have said. There were three parcels altogether, 1) 1.5 lbs, 2) 6 lbs, 3) documents, all delivered. Sept. 8th mail has 4 parcels with one delivered and 3 in delay. The one delivered was listed as "documents" so maybe that is the petitions. The NVC swears up and down our package went out on the 5th. Is there any way to connect our specific case with an specific DHL tracking number? Otherwise I'm just going on their word, which I take with an entire mine of salt.

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." There are at least 3 separate checks done by/through DOS which includes NVC, CA and GZ. 9 FAM refers to them all as 'name check'. How can you be sure that everyone using the term means the same thing? You can't. VISAS EAGLE is sent to the FBI who coordinates with 10 different agencies to see if the applicant is a security risk. When DOS (or NVC) gets the response, they issue a Security Advisory Opinion. VISAS EAGLE is a criminal background check sent to the FBI to run through their NCIC and IIS systems. CLASS is a system run by DOS and is known as the Counsular Look Out Something System (I'm too lazy to look it up). It stores info any previous visa applications, visa problems, customs problems, etc. Which 'name check' is the problem? Don, I think I've seen you answer this same question about six times on this site in the time I've been here (once when I asked). You should save your reply and just do a canned response the same way GZ does. It saves tons of time! Really, it does!!

Dave, 1:40am. Isn't it past your bedtime? Or are you practicing up for 3am feedings?

Yeah, you know recently, for some odd reason, Reagan's words to Gorbechov came into my head.... Only I rearranged them. "Mr Bush, tear down this wall!" (referring to the wall we all are confronting on this site.) I now actually have a child with my wife here and am facing going home in two weeks without them. Still, the response I get from GZ is all of two sentences. The same one's I'm sure everyone else here has read. "We don't have your case... blah blah blah." Well, we know you have it you just haven't processed it. Why can't they even just be honest about it???? If I'm not mistaken, your deadline shouldn't be an issue. I believe the date gets automatically extended. You should double check that, though.

You're smokin' through the process, dude! You started after me and passed me up! I'm dying for a P3 right now...

GZ says they don't have any record of our case. NVC says our case was forwarded to GZ on Sept 5. All the DHL shipments around that time (Sept 5 and Sept 8) show as having been delivered. Anyone have any idea how to shake our case free of this void? Yes, I'm emailing GZ IVunit once a week.

Even though I was fighting for his right to say what he wanted, however unpopular, I always feel that a forum is like someone's house. If the hosts think someone should go, they should go. I do think he was very much the proverbial bull in a china shop.